The Thin End

We are generally told that taking an afternoon nap is good for us, although who has the time to do that? However, the benefits may be limited and depend on how long a rest we take, mainly if you are a woman.  Taking a long nap may have limited rewards.  Afternoon naps may help de-stress and refresh during the day. Still, new research in the journal Heart & Lung reveals that taking extended afternoon naps (over 90 mins) is connected to developing high blood pressure for women. The study of 7,980 Chinese participants, measured variables including age and gender and found that middle-aged and older women who took naps longer than 90-minutes were 39 per cent and 54 per cent more likely to have high blood pressure, respectively. "Not found to be associated with high blood pressure in men." However,  the study found a difference between men and women, and extended afternoon napping was not found to be associated with high blood pressure in men The resear...

Latest Podcast. A weekly round up of news and views on topical issues. This week: Invasive Rabbits and Hares, pesticides and hummingbirds, Invasive mosquitos, abortion law reform in the UK, and controversl new blood pressure guidelines.

When should 'high' blood pressure be regarded as 'hypertension'? When should we be looking at some kind of medication? The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) think the current thresholds are too high, and they released new guideline recommendations for hypertension with lower blood pressure values defining elevated blood pressure, and lower treatment thresholds, than those recommended in current guidelines. So, how many people would this affect, and at what cost? Millions would be affected A new study published by the BMJ today shows that adopting the new guidelines would dramatically increase the number of people labeled as having the condition and being recommended for drug treatment.  Millions more would be classified as having hypertension. The findings show that, if the guidelines were introduced in the US and China, more than half of those aged 45-75 years in both countries would be considered hypertensive. So...